I know what you mean... it was 1 month ago we upgraded to high-speed (384K) from dial-up (painfully slow).  Satellite's good; I know quite a few who use it and like it, although it is susceptible to "rain fade" -- poor service due to rain or heavy cloud cover that interferes with the relatively weak satellite signal.  Before you install satellite, check for line-of-sight wireless service in your area.  We can't get DSL at our house, and opted to use a service that mounted an antenna on our rooftop within direct view of the local small-town water tower, where an antenna has been installed.  This type of service (depending on the individual company) may be more dependable than satellite.